RCBS’S CHARGEMASTER LITE – MAKING RELOADING EASY
Taking the pain out of reloading with RCBS.
Taking the pain out of reloading with RCBS.
JOHAN VAN WYK
Even though I use and like the reloading equipment of a variety of manufacturers, I will admit to a certain fondness for the products of American manufacturer RCBS. Way back in the late 1970s, RCBS was just about the only freely available make of reloading equipment on the market here, which is what my father bought when he took up reloading. As a result, I grew up with and learned to use the familiar green equipment.
Pretoria-based Formalito is the local agent for RCBS products and recently supplied me with an RCBS ChargeMaster Lite electronic scale and powder dispenser for testing pur
poses. As can be imagined, it is a quality product with numerous handy and innovative features, and whenever the instructions were followed, the unit performed flawlessly.
GETTING STARTED
The first step to starting your reloading session with the ChargeMaster Lite is to level the unit properly. It has a built-in bubble level and adjustable legs for this purpose. The bubble level has a small circle in the middle, and if the bubble is in the circle, the unit is level.
The second step is to allow the unit to warm up. The manual advises 20-30 minutes for this, but I left the unit switched on for just over an hour. After the warm-up, the next step is calibration, and two 50-gram weights are supplied for this purpose. To calibrate is easy: Remove the powder pan from the scale platen and press the CAL button on the unit. The display will now show a reading of zero, and as soon as the screen shows that the unit is stable, press the CAL button again. Next, the screen will show C 50, the sign to place the first 50-gram weight on the scale platen and press CAL again. The display will now show C 100, the sign to add the second 50-gram weight and press CAL again.
As soon as the display shows 100,00 g, remove both weights and place them in their weight holders. Place the powder pan on the platen and press ZERO. The display will now show 0,0 GN. The unit is now calibrated and ready for use.
DIFFERENT DISPENSING MODES
After calibration and filling the plastic powder hopper to the desired level with the relevant propellant, the next step is to enter the charge weight that has to be dispensed for each cartridge. The user of the ChargeMaster Lite has a choice between the manual or automatic dispensing modes.
When the manual mode is chosen, the user must press the GO button on the front of the unit. The unit will then dispense the entered amount into the powder pan. When the automatic dispensing mode is chosen, the unit will automatically dispense the required weight of propellant every time the empty pan is replaced on the scale platen. If you want the unit to trickle more propellant into the powder pan, simply press the TRICKLE button once to start trickling, and again to stop dispensing.
USING THE CHARGEMASTER LITE
I used the unit to load up a season’s worth of .30-06 cartridges with Hodgdon H4350 powder. As a control, I set up my dated yet trusty RCBS 10-10 balancebeam scale as well. RCBS claims an accuracy of 0,1 grain or less for charges not exceeding 500 grains. From what I could see, the ChargeMaster Lite passed this test with flying colours. I made a point of weighing every tenth charge or so that was dispensed by the ChargeMaster Lite on the 10-10 scale as well, and there were no discrepancies.
Whenever I wanted to change the setting for the charge to be dispensed, I merely pressed the CANCEL key and punched in a new charge setting on the LCD touchscreen display. My impression was that the ChargeMaster Lite was not only easy to use but also reliable.
After finishing up the reloading session, emptying the unit is easy: Merely open the drainspout on the right side of the unit and let the powder trickle into the powder can or another suitable container.
Just one word of caution in this regard, though: Do not forget to close the drain-spout again! This happened to me when I wanted to use the unit a second time. The end result was a few well-aimed curses at myself and a quick trip to the broom closet to clean the spilt powder from my study floor.
The ChargeMaster Lite is, in my opinion, a very fine product. It saves a lot of time whenever large quantities of ammunition have to be loaded, and it is reliable. Therefore, I have no hesitation in giving this product a big thumbs-up on all counts. * The RCBS ChargeMaster Lite retails for approximately R7 999 and is available from numerous retailers. Alternatively, ask your dealer to phone Formalito, RCBS’s local agent, on 012-6647793/4 or visit them on the web at www.formalito.co.za